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SALT LAKE CITY The aromas upon entering Iman Alshrahebs Salt Lake Valley apartment, a world away from where she grew up, deliver a message Iraqi food travels well.

Middle Eastern dishes have a special way of tickling the taste buds. For members of the Alshraheb family, they also help savor memories of their southern Iraqi home in better times. Food is an important cultural lifeline for refugees, who have left almost everything behind to forge new lives in an unfamiliar land.

Recently, Iman, 56, stirred a skillet of onions, peppers, mushrooms, shrimp and spices as she talked with her daughter, Baidaa, 28, about their hometown of Basra and their more recent home as refugees in Jordan. The dish, a stew called magbus rabyan in their native Arabic tongue, is a mainstay in their household.

Iraqi recipes draw from a long history dating back to ancient Mesopotamia and they are influenced by Turkish, Persian and Syrian cultures.

Iman dreams of cooking again for her mother and brother, who remain in Iraq.

I want to see my family again, she said while preparing saffron rice that is traditionally served with the stew. I dont want to lose anyone.

Basra sits along the Shatt-Al-Arab waterway, which runs into the Persian Gulf, 65 miles away. Seafood is a staple of the denizens of the ancient city and surrounding area, Baidaa explained.

Here in Utah, her father, Abdul Rahman Alshraheb, 62, fishes the Jordan River regularly, keeping the refrigerator stocked with carp all summer.

In Iraq, Abdul Rahman owned and operated a car-parts store. The family had a large house surrounded by big, leafy trees in a pleasant neighborhood. On Sundays, the extended family would gather at Baidaas grandmothers house to drink tea in small, glass cups and catch up before a bountiful midafternoon meal.

Before the war, life was good in the city of 1.5 million. There was music and dance, and the family had a wide circle of friends that included writers and poets, Abdul Rahman recalled.

In addition to Baidaa, Iman and Abdul Rahman have three sons. In 1998, the youngest, Asad, then 18 months old, became extremely ill. At the hospital, Iman saw many babies who seemed to be dying. A doctor told her the best treatment for the youngster was in neighboring Jordan.

The family moved to Amman, believing they would return to Basra once Asad was well. That didnt happen. On March 20, 2003, the United States and its allies invaded the country that had been led for decades by strongman Saddam Hussein.

Although southern Iraq now is safer than Baghdad and parts north, violence mostly from car bombs remains unpredictable.

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Savoring memories from Iraq, family finds safety in Utah - Daily Herald

SOUTHWEST ASIA, June 10, 2017 U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, conducting 27 strikes consisting of 70 engagements, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of yesterday's strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

In Syria, coalition military forces conducted 21 strikes consisting of 30 engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Abu Kamal, a strike destroyed an ISIS oil refinery.

-- Near Raqqah, 20 strikes engaged 12 ISIS tactical units; destroyed seven fighting positions, four vehicles, three ISIS headquarters, a car bomb, and an ISIS-held building; and suppressed an ISIS tactical unit.

Strikes in Iraq

In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted six strikes consisting of 40 engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Al Huwayjah, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed three ISIS-held buildings, a supply cache and an ISIS headquarters.

-- Near Bayji, a strike destroyed three car bombs, two car-bomb staging areas and a tactical vehicle.

-- Near Kisik, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed five fighting positions and a car bomb, and damaged two fighting positions.

-- Near Mosul, three strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units; destroyed seven fighting positions, three ISIS-held buildings, a command and control node, a car bomb, and a car-bomb staging area; and suppressed an ISIS tactical unit and a mortar system.

Previously Unreported

Additionally, seven previously unreported strikes were conducted in Syria and Iraq on June 7-8.

-- On June 7, near Raqqah, Syria, a strike destroyed an ISIS minefield.

-- On June 8, near Raqqah, Syria, three strikes destroyed four fighting positions and a car bomb.

-- On June 8, near Mosul, Iraq, two strikes engaged three ISIS tactical units; destroyed three front-end loaders, a car-bomb facility, a fighting position, a rocket-propelled grenade system, an excavator, and a command and control node; damaged 12 ISIS supply routes and a fighting position; and suppressed two ISIS tactical units.

-- On June 8, near Rawah, Iraq, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed four ISIS-held buildings.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

These strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to destroy ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The destruction of ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria also further limits the group's ability to project terror and conduct external operations throughout the region and the rest of the world, task force officials said.

The list above contains all strikes conducted by fighter, attack, bomber, rotary-wing or remotely piloted aircraft; rocket-propelled artillery; and some ground-based tactical artillery when fired on planned targets, officials noted.

Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike, they added. A strike, as defined by the coalition, refers to one or more kinetic engagements that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single or cumulative effect.

For example, task force officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIS vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of ISIS-held buildings and weapon systems in a compound, having the cumulative effect of making that facility harder or impossible to use. Strike assessments are based on initial reports and may be refined, officials said.

The task force does not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target.

More here:
US, Coalition Continue Strikes to Defeat ISIS in Syria, Iraq - Department of Defense

Since the announcement of the plan for a referendum in the Kurdistan Region to decide whether to stay with Iraq or leave and build an independent state some worry that such a project would lead to the establishment of a dictatorial state.

Others have come up with a long list of preconditions to be met before going for a referendum such as writing a fantastic constitution, good institutions, strong economic infrastructure and a functioning parliament.

At the end of all their negative comments they say they are not against independence, they are only against referendum especially the one planned for September.

How do they think you can decide on your future if not through a referendum? Also a date has to be set for a referendum whether it is now or ten years from now.

Besides, their concerns and fears are misplaced. They worry about a dictatorial Kurdish state as if right now we are part of the most democratic country in the world. They warn of lack of institutions and a constitution and Iraq miserably fails at all of those.

Part of their fear is that one party and one man should not be in charge of the referendum project and that it is a national ambition. But historically and everywhere in the world it has always been one man and one party that have pushed for independence and the rest of the nation follows.

Who cares at this stage what kind of state Kurdistan will be. It would certainly be nice to have a successful democratic state with a strong economy, high standards of living and a useful member of the international community. But right now, the biggest thing is to make sure we successfully separate from Iraq. Then those questions could be addressed.

You cant have your dream state without declaring it first. Also, being part of Iraq for a hundred years has made many Kurds unable to invest in the land. Almost everything, whether it is building a highway or a dam or a family home is put on hold because no one is sure what happens next and when we might face another attack from Iraq or a group like ISIS.

An independent state would finally give people some breathing space and a chance to invest in their own future and that of the country.

If anyone has issues with the political parties here or with corruption or lack of institutions, they will better be able to hold them accountable in an independent state than a de facto region that is neither fully independent nor fully part of Iraq.

In many aspects now, the Kurdistan Region is doing better than Iraq and as an independent state it will do better still.

Tens of years of fighting the Iraqi regime, all the mass graves and sacrifice was for Kurds to be able to have their own country. Now that that chance is upon us there is no excuse not to seize it.

Concerns about corruption, fear of dictatorship, philosophizing or texts from political science books are irrelevant here. It is a simple yet historical project for a people to separate from a country they have never been proud or felt part of.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rudaw.

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Let's separate from Iraq first then talk about state-building - Rudaw

KUALA LUMPUR: Another Malaysian Islamic State (IS) fighter, identified as Mohd Nizam Ariffin (pic), has been killed in clashes with security forces in Iraq.

The 38-year-old militant, also known as Abu Afghan, was killed in the city of Mosul on Friday.

Intelligence sources indicated Mohd Nizams death, but no other details were available.

It is learnt that Mohd Nizam appeared in an IS propaganda video in January last year along with fellow militant Abdul Halid Dari.

Identifying themselves as members of Katibah Nusantara (the Malay-speaking wing of IS), the militants called on Katibahs brothers from Somalias al-Shabaab to join the group in the real frontline in Syria.

They spoke in Bahasa Malaysia and urged the al-Shabaab members to join IS.

The Katibah militants also warned the Malaysian Government against thwarting IS terror plots, another source said.

According to other sources, the Ipoh-born Mohd Nizam travelled to Syria on March 6, 2014, and joined the Ajnad al-Sham militant group.

However, after the death of former Kedah PAS Youth information chief Lotfi Ariffin in September 2014, Mohd Nizam joined IS.

It was in IS that he teamed up with other militants from Malaysia and Indonesia in Katibah Nusantara, a source said.

Mohd Nizams death brings the total of Malaysian militants killed in Iraq and Syria to 31, with some 56 others believed to be still at large.

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Another Malaysian militant killed in Iraq - The Star Online

Theliberation of Mosul and the wider Ninevah province from the Islamic State group (ISIS) and its brutal Salafist jihadi doctrine is the subject of many Iraqi conversations. To capitalize on the lessons learned from the bloody three-year battle, Iraqis must take stock of thepolitical process.

Liberation is not a solution in itself and fundamental questions need to be asked: Do Iraqis want a united or divided country (in everything but name)? What is better, a federal system or a confederation? Should there be a state dominated by the center or decentralized provinces with new and broad powers?

Was ISIS occupation of large swaths of Iraqi territory a sufficient warningof the fragility of the country's political system, governance and social cohesion? Or do Iraqis (God forbid) need another horrific wake up call that will lead to the end of Iraq as we know it? Can one say with confidence that Iraqi parties have failed to learn from the lessons of the crisis? Different factions have used the state to service their own narrow interests, taking advantage of the chaos when Iraq faced its greatest existential crisis.

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What are the doses of antibiotics required in the Iraqi body so that terrorism departs for good? This is an urgent question that all Iraqis need to answer. We shouldnt forget that when the liberation of Mosul is complete, the eyes of the international coalition will turn west towards Syria. Iraq is not immune from what is taking place next door. The government, NGOs and the international community must create a new environment in the liberated areas for social justice and work on a new formula for coexistence.

Despite all these challenges, Iraqis have shown the rest of the world that they have the strength of character to develop the countrys social and political fabric. Once Iraq has addressed the grand questions of rule of law, governance, revenue distribution and identity,the focus must then shift to defining a new political culture in Iraq and creating a roadmap for a confederation with the Kurdistan Regional Government, the most viable formula for coexistence with the Kurds.

Read more: The final push for Mosul: 'Matter of time' until ISIS flag falls

Decentralization has to be accelerated, corruption addressed, a population census--long overdue--must be conducted for country-wide planning. Finally, missing legislationmust be voted for, including the long-awaited oil law. It wont be easy, but these are urgent and important moves for the people and future of Iraq.

Governing Iraq after liberation will be the real acid test of Iraqi leadership, especially with the recognition that the state is being weakened from within. The liberation of Mosul must be the start of the nations recovery, otherwise, warlords, camouflaged by different names and fronts, will prevail.

It is important to remember that the presence of ISIS militants in Mosul created a new generation of young supporters, here it is necessary to admit that a new mutation of the group will be no less evil and acts of terrorism will continue, as we saw in the recent bombing attack at the Karada ice cream parlor. The threat has the potential to move inside cities, as well as some areas that remain outside the states authority. Let us not allow the liberation of Mosul be a stop-gap before the next wave of extremism.

Leaders must lead, and not be led.

Lukman Faily was the Iraqi Ambassador to the United States between 2013 and 2016. He also served as Iraqs Ambassador to Japan from 2010 to 2013.

Originally posted here:
The Looming Defeat of ISIS in Mosul Puts Iraq At A Crossroads - Newsweek